NarutoGaara Christmas Challenge
by Temari 88
Summary: 25 daily drabbles on this great pairing leading up to Christmas!
1. Break & Dream

_Hello everyone! :D_

_I was wandering LJ communities this morning, when I found an interesting Christmas challenge consisting of 25 prompt words to use for a daily drabble collection up until Christmas... I decided to use it so here I am! :) Of course, I'm two days late, since it's a drabble each day, for this reason I'll put the first two here together and later on today I'll add the one meant for December 3rd ^^_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but what I wrote._

_Enjoy!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 C: _

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**- (December 1st) Break -**

Gaara had been working almost no stop for the last three days, he hadn't left the office for more than personal hygiene and even then he had hurried back to read and sign the countless papers that demanded his attention... not once paying heed to his siblings' suggestions to leave the less important forms in their care so he could relax a little. Temari and Kankurou had long since come to the conclusion that their younger brother was a workaholic - no, he was even _worse _than that. But now, after three days of continuous scribbling and reading, Temari had finally got fed up and had called for help. —Gaara was in the middle of reading a mission report when the door of the office burst open and he suddenly found himself pinned to the backrest of his chair, a tongue lapping at his lips asking for entrance; blinking, he recognized the blond hair standing in his vision, closed his eyes and sighed as he granted the tongue's wish... a break sounded good...

**- (December 2nd) Dream -**

The first time he dreamed of Gaara, he thought nothing of it: he often dreamed of his friends and precious people, he could say it was his way of coping with the loneliness he still felt sometimes when he slept in his home alone. When the dreams he had featuring Gaara started growing in frequency, he started wondering the reason but before he could figure it out, Sasuke abandoned the village and his dreams turned into nightmares in which the Uchiha always got away before he could reach him... it changed again after he saw Gaara during that 'rescue-Gaara's-student' mission: the red-haired became the main focus of his nightly visions and everything went downward after that, especially when the dreams began to get influenced by his awakening hormones. It wasn't until he woke up after a particularly steamy and hot dream featuring himself and Gaara doing _things_, sporting a rather obvious boner, that he understood he had a problem.


	2. Real

_Hello everyone! :D_

_As promised, here's the drabble due today... Uh, I know it might be slightly stretching the prompt but bear with me ^^_

_Gaara's POV, and a near future speculation on my part - if the battle ends well, what will be of the Bijuu?_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 3rd) Real -**

He doesn't hold any hatred or feelings of revenge towards Tsunade-sama and the other 'Kages, he is one himself so he understands perfectly their resoning - it was the whole reason why he had accepted to be subjected to this. Still, the pain is so intense... it almost feels like dying all over again—the experience of having your soul pulled out of your body forcefully, only reversed this time: he would have never thought a sealing to be this painful (maybe it was only seals made to imprison demons that hurt so much). He knows he's screaming, feels his throat raw and his voice repetedly cracks... everything seems unreal, blurry and he's on the verge of fainting—a calloused hand squeezing his is the only thing anchoring him to the present.


	3. Crime

_Hello everyone :D_

_Notes on this drabble: set somewhere in the near future battles of the war, but still speculation on my part ^^ (I do believe Naruto will fight eventually, they can't keep him locked away for long)._

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

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**- (December 4th) Crime -**

They stood side by side, watching the war unravel and escalate in intensity as seconds went by. They should join in, they knew, and they had been about to but... something had caught their attention. Rather, someone. A _couple _of someones. Naruto can't withhold the fierce growl bubbling in his throat because, whie it's true that he has never met them before, his gut tells him his assumptions are correct, and when he hears Bee whisper a name - Yugito - he's _certain _and he is disgusted by the ultimate crime of their enemies—those approaching him, Gaara and Killerbee are no one other than the other Jinchuuriki. The Sand leader feels his fists shake as he realizes the full extent of Madara's madness; to think he would go as far as using Edo Tensei to bring back to life the former hosts... wasn't it enough to have been a puppet while alive? It was just cruel, using them like that.


	4. Hidden

_Hello everyone :D_

_Next drabble's here... inching more towards rating K+ than K for some hinted innuendo._

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

**

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- (December 5th) Hidden -**

He had told himself he wanted to do it just to make sure Gaara actually kept his promise to go to his bedroom and rest, but now Naruto wasn't so certain that hiding inside the red-haired's closet had been a great idea... first of all, the closet was surprisingly small, considering it was the Kazekage's private room, and the space that wasn't occupied with boxes was rather reduced, meaing he was far from comfortable crunched there on his knees. The failures of his plan had started showing when Gaara had entered the room: Naruto found all he could do was prey the Kazekage didn't neet to take some clothers from his hiding spot - how woul dhe explain himself if the other found him there? - then Gaara had started undressing and the blond had felt his heartbeat pick up at every inch of white skin being exposed and now—Naruto groaned for the umpteenth time, resisting the urge to reach down and relieve some of the pressure building in his crotch... the last thing he would have expected was to sit and watch as Gaara had a frigging _wet dream_... and, worst of it all, Gaara was dreaming of **him **and he could do _nothing_ but _watch_...!


	5. Persuade

_Hello everyone :D_

_This could be either AU or something set in the future. Hint of ShikamaruTemari._

_Ja ne,  
Tenari 88 _

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- (December 6th) Persuade -**

Temari knew her little brother hated everything relating to parties and any other event consisting in large numbers of people gathering together in a room - or hall or any closed space for that matter - so she expected a lot of resistance when she asked him to 'give her away' to Shikamaru the day of their wedding... not because she thought he wasn't happy to see his older sister marry, but more because escorting her to the altar meant not only he had to be present, but also that he had to stay _there _all the way through. That's why Gaara's immediate 'Okay' took her off guard, regardless, she was happy of the answer and didn't think about it twice... until now. Temari (still in her simple yet beautiful wedding dress) stood frozen on the spot, eyes wide, as a _very _unexpected scene unfolded in front of her: Gaara was trapped between a certain blond's arms, while said blond was busy trying to suck her brother's tongue out of his mouth... most shocking still, Gaara's hands were firmly squeezing Naruto's ass. No wonder it was so easy to persuade him, thought Temari as she dizzily walked away.


	6. Snap

_Hello everyone :D_

_I'm having fun setting a lot of these during the just-about-to-really-begin war :P_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 7th) Snap -**

At first, Gaara had found Naruto's demonstration of control over Kyuubi's chakra pretty fascinating. The cloak of golden energy covering his body was a sight to behold - the raw power emanating from it was enough to have his sand shift nervously - and the speed in which the Leaf ninja could move now left nothing but an after-image of yellow light, a _flash_. The dark markings over Naruto's frame trigged the red-haired's memory... something regarding a Sage or something, but Gaara shrugged it off uncaring as he kept trying to follow the hyperactive teen with his eyes; after a minute of hopping like a frog from one spot to another, Naruto stopped, declaring with an excited tone that he wanted Gaara to see the _coolest_ thing ever he could do in 'Jinchuuriki Mode' - Gaara tried to say something, he really did, but the other wasn't listening to him - and immediately neared some rubbles laying next to him, conjuring up a hand from the chakra enveloping his body and started to pile the rocks on top of each other, blabbing about the awesomeness of it—just like that, Gaara snapped, "WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR! LEAVE THE LEGOS FOR ANOTHER TIME!"


	7. Eavesdrop

_Hello everyone :D_

_Here's another drabble, enjoy!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 8th) Eavesdrop -**

It was a habit of Sakura to enter Naruto's house whenever she needed to, without caring much for knocking: in the years the two had been team mates, she had to come and gather him for an appointment with Kakashi and Sasuke and she had quickly found out how much of a heavy sleeper the blond was... no matter how much or how long she kept pounding on the front door or the window, Naruto would continue sleeping as if nothing was happening, so after a while - knowing the other never locked his door - she started barging into the small apartment to punch the idiot awake. Today, Sakura had dropped by to tell him Tsunade wanted to see him regarding the disappearance of the kazekage, who was supposed to have a meeting with the blond woman... the front room was deserted, so she approached the back of the small house, halting as she saw the door of the bedroom shut. The pink-haired teenager pressed her ear to the wooden surface (using chakra to enhance her hearing) and leapt back as she heard what was clearly Naruto's voice release a drawn out groan of a _very _familiar name; she stared at the door a second, then leaned her ear on it again just as another, deeper, voice (one she recognized as the Kazekage's) answered her team mate's with an explicit request that made her blush.—At the other side of the village, Tsunade was wondering where her student had disappeared to...


	8. Vain

_Hello everyone :D_

_The 9th drabble is here!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 9th) Vain -**

Naruto and Gaara were walking side by side, hands laced together, enjoying the peaceful silence interrupted by idle chatting every now and then. Suna's streets weren't too crowded because most of the population was inside, under the shade, but these two didn't care much for the high temperature - Naruto rather preferred it better when the streets were near empty: the blond didn't like the way everyone stared at Gaara with a longing to be noticed by the Kazekage, to be talked to... people tried to worm their way into the small circle of those the red-haired held close, and failed most miserably. To think on it now, Naruto asked himself how he had come to be the only one Gaara held in so high consideration—he caught sight of the reflection of two of them on a window shop... no matter how many times they went out together, Naruto couldn't shake the feel of awe he felt. Even now, as he stared at each reflection he came by as they passed shops; at one point Gaara stopped and turned to him, eyebrow raised. "Since when are you so vain as to look at yourself every chance you get?" Naruto laughed at the question, then gathered Gaara in a hug and answered quietly, "I just noticed how hot we look together."


	9. Ask

_Hello everyone :D_

_Another drabble is here...!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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- (December 10th) Ask -**

When Kankurou asked his little brother why he kept trying to find missions to send over at Konoha - no matter how meaningless - and why he kept requesting for Uzumaki to carry them out, Gaara had simply looked at him impassively, not deigning him of a response. The puppeteer had been slightly put out but he had shrugged noncommittally, deciding toleave the matter be... for the moment. The next time Naruto visited Suna (after completing a stupid c rank mission near the west Gate), Kankurou cornered the blond ninja and tried to question him about the frequent missions he was assigned, but Naruto seemed pretty confused too about it so the older teen let him be. Asking Temari proved to be fruitless: she marely smirked knowingly at him and refused to say anything.—Kankurou wanted **answers**! The next chance he got, he barged into Gaara's office and demanded to know why the hell he continued to request _Naruto _for genin level missions; Gaara smiled faintly, a mischievous glint in his green eyes, before uttering his answer. "He IS a genin." Kankurou could only stare and gape at the red-haired.


	10. Meal

_Hello everyone :D_

_I'm a little later than usual in posting this, but I found ten minutes now to write this drabble seeing I won't be home later on._

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 11th) Meal -**

Naruto had ended in hospital again - he was just too rash, he never thought of the consequences of his reckless actions - and, while the injury he sustained was far from serious even for normal standards (let alone Jinchuuriki standards and even less in _Naruto's_ standards), Tsunade had told the blond he was bed bound until she said otherwise. Of course, the woman knew words wouldn't be enough to stop Naruto, so she prevented the escape physically bounding the teen to the bed frame. It was right there that Gaara found him, when he arrived at the hospital... the red-haired was glad to see his lover was fine and the only thing he complained about was the lack of a decent meal - because Naruto thought hospital food was "Yuck" - so Gaara, ever thoughtful when it came to the Leaf ninja, went out with the promise of a better lunch. Five minutes later, the Kazekage returned, Ichiraku's ramen securely held to his chest inside take-away cups.—As a thank you for his thoughtfulness, Gaara got a long, passionate make out session with Naruto's promise of continuation as soon as he was discharged.


	11. Lure

_Hello everyone :D_

_Oh, I had fun imaging this! Hahah!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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- (December 12th) Lure -**

Sabaku no Gaara was famous for his stone-like face, _nothing _seemed to move him and most grown, battle-worn shinobi found it difficult to beat him when they tried to act like him: few could control their facial muscles so well... the whole of Suna, Konoha and whatever other place the red-haired had visited agreed on one fact: the Godaime Kazekage had **the best** poker face even seen, even statues were easier to see changing expression.—That was the reason why Kakashi (usually so good at reading people) wasn't quite so sure if the young leader was joking or not when he went up to him and asked - demanded - if he could lend some of his books... the jounin had been tempted to ask _which _books he was talking about (because as strange as it sounded, Kakashi had a variety of volumes other than erotica) but Gaara beat him to it, pointing a finger at a pile of BL novels shoved in a corner of the room - a mocking gift from Anko, who had thought he had a fling with Iruka. Kakashi had the great idea of questioning the use Gaara had in mind for the books and immediately regretted it when the red-haired, blank-faced as usual, answered, "I plan on luring Naruto into my bedroom."


	12. Sear

_Hello everyone :D_

_I admit this one gave some pause when I read the word... hope it's okay ^^_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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- (December 13th) Sear -**

In his eighteen years of life, he had felt a large variety of emotions. Some had been positive, others had been negative; some had made him cry, others smile; some he had understood and others he hadn't - not right away, it had taken time. He had suffered a lot during a stage of his life when normally you shouldn't have to—childhood. That had been a rather dark, gloomy period of his existence... he could remember the few (very few) moments of true happiness he had felt back then: the first time Hokage-jiji had given him a present (a frog-shaped pouch for his money, which he named Gama-chan), the first time he had walked into Ichiraku Ramen (it had been an accident, he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings) and nobody had chased him away, that time when Iruka-sensei had paid for his ramen and, lastly, when Iruka-sensei had given him his hitai-ate after he had beaten up Mizuki. Other than those times, real happiness was something Naruto had not experienced often, even after he made a lot of friends. —Thinking back on those times, he realizes _nothing _compared to the searing, intense happiness he felt inside him when he heard Gaara tell him he loved him.


	13. Damage

_Hello everyone :D_

_I admit inspiration came from a book which I dislike from the bottom of my heart... D: But the scene just popped up and I thought it was realistic for Naruto&Gaara..._

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 14th) Damage -**

Sky blue eyes slowly opened a slit, closed again, blinked three or four times before finally settling on a narrowed stare focused on the wall in front of him. He remained motionless for a while, trying to get his wits about him and make his head stop spinning so fast; he was brought out of his thoughtless staring when a pale face and seafoam green eyes invaded his sight, he blinked again before mustering up a smile to smooth out the crease that had settled on the pale brow hovering over him. He pushed himself up to his elbows and captured the thin lips of Gaara's in a slightly sloppy good moring kiss and was about to deepen it, when his eyes took in the room they were in - _really _seeing it for the first time since waking up - he detached himself from his lover, "What the hell happened here?" Gaara turned around to look at the upturned and/or pulverized furniture, the shattered window, the abandoned chandelier that was on the floor near the closet, the door of which had a hole in the center of the frame... the only thing left intact was the bed... the whole floor was littered with lumps of sand. "Collateral damage." said Gaara in a completely even voice, like having a thrashed bedroom didn't faze him in the least, "We got a little... _wild_, yesterday." Naruto could only think that was the understatement of the month.


	14. Hope

_Hello everyone :D_

_Geez, this drabble screams SAPPY&CORNY from two kilometers away... ^^; Sorry if you'll get cavities!_

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

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**- (December 15th) Hope -**

Gaara didn't do hoping: it was a far too dangerous as enotion. It all started with being expectant for it meant to look forward to something, looking forward to something meant to hope for it to happen, in turn hoping caused a heady feeling that made you feel lighter, when the feeling of floating vanishes suddely you would find yourself crashing down violently on the ground. Disappointment and sadness, _that _was what hoping meant. He stopped that nonsense long ago - the night Yashamaru revealed everything - and he had come to the conclusion he would never let himself get carried away that way again. —A mantra of 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' rings in Gaara's head as he waits for Naruto to say something, he can feel the heady sensation taking hold of his insides and he does his best to refrain from shaking the other's shoulders to get a reaction faster... his heart beats furiously and his breathing is quicker than normal... he scolds himself for letting hope take over. He watches as Naruto's fingers trace the egdes of the glass sculpture - a spiral with the 'ai' kanji in the middle - and when the blond opens his mouth ("It's beautiful." he says), Gaara almost lets his legs give away under him, almost. He smiles at Naruto, heady feeling still present and he thinks maybe it will remain, as long as Naruto is there.**  
**


	15. Reveal

_Hello everyone :D_

_Today's drabble! Gaara reveals his feelings...!_

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

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**- (December 16th) Reveal -**

Temari and Kankurou stopped a few inches from each other, exchanging a confused look, then they both shrugged and the elder Sabaku knocked on the door they were standing in front of. Once they got the permisson to enter, they went in and closed the door behind them; Gaara wasn't at his desk, instead he was standing in front of the window with his back to them and only after Kankurou cleared his throat, the red-haired turned to them. Temari felt her eyebrows crease together at the anxious look in her little brother's eyes - she had seen it more than a few times lately, but hadn't commented on it - and when the other stayed silent still, she got tired of waiting and spoke first. "What is it, Gaara? You wanted to tell us something...?" Kankurou was staring at his brother too and only because of that did he catch Gaara's Adam Apple bob up and down heavily: he was nervous and anything that made the _Kazekage _nervous was never something good. Finally, Gaara opened his mouth, "I think I love Naruto." he said, silence followed before both Temari and Kankurou shook their heads in disbelief—**_that _**was what had worried him so much? Seeing as Gaara was waiting for them to say something, Temari only responded, "We know, Gaara. We knew before you, actually." Only a blind man wouldn't see that, and even then, he would _hear_.**  
**


	16. Surprise

_Hello everyone :D_

_I'm not entirely satisfied with this drabble, but I hope you'll like it anyway!_

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

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** - (December 17th) Surprise -  
**  
A small group made of Naruto's closest friends - which meant the Konoha Twelve, Sai and the Sand Siblings (minus Gaara) - had gathered outside said blond's apartment to set up the surprise party for his birthday; Sakura promptly pulled out the key and opened the door. To say the group was speechless at the mess that greated them would be an understatement but working their way into the small space, they disposed of all the junk in a short time, going about setting up the decorations soon after: they didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare - their 'distraction' could buy them only so much time. —Finally they could hear Naruto's voice approaching and everyone tried to hide as best they could and the lights had already been tuned off; they waited and in the complete silence they all heard a thumping as something got pushed against the door followed immediately after by a low groan... the people inside the apartment wondered what was going on, then another thump came as some_one_ collided with the door slightly more forcefully than before - Gaara should have kept company to Naruto while the others prepared everything and now? Were they fighting...? - and the fragile wooden frame gave way, making the two on the other side tumble into the apartment... the lights got tuned on—everyone froze on the spot, the group's eyes wide as they took in a flushed and ruffled up Gaara trapped between Naruto's arms and a Naruto with his headband askew, his jacket open and the mesh shirt pulled up to his sternum. That party was a surprise, indeed. For _everyone_.**  
**


	17. Cry

_Hello everyone :D_

_This is probably the corniest thing I _ever _wrote, or just the corniest in a while... but either this or something sad, and I didn't want drama. :P  
On a side note, I'm starting to feel the need to write another lemon, haha! _

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

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**- (December 18th) Cry -**

They had been a couple for some time, now, and everytime they slept together it was always a unique experience. Although, being who they were, they never had a lot of time to enjoy each other - beetween meetings, missions and numerous other things standing in their way - so during most of their encounters they could indulge in nothing more than slightly hurried sex or groping sessions; they didn't exactly mind it: there wasn't much they could do about it and they preferred to spend what little time they had in any way they could. Still, both would say their most cherished memories were of those few (and quite far in beetween) times were they had a whole night, a whole day, to spend with each other—they would make love, with no hurry and nothing to worry about besides making the other feel good and loved...and those were the best times, because their feelings were free to flow through their veins, to reach deep into the other's soul where they were amplified until the love they felt could only be expressed by holding their lover tight and cry their name.**  
**


	18. Assist

_Hello everyone :D_

_We leave the romantic, fluffy atmosphere in favor of a more sombre and dramatic one set during the war - speculation of course!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 19th) Assist -**

They were in grave danger, the battle had been going on full out since the beginning and by now even the most resistant and resourceful shinobi were mostly worn out and tired; the enemies seemed an endless flow of Zetsus - every defeated body there were three taking its place - to which an incredible number of powerful and frightening warriors provived back up... all of those were terrific opponents: Hanzo the Salamander, some of the former Jinchuuriki, Chiyo-baa-sama, the most of the strongest leaders of different villages, the former Akatsuki members and _so much more_... and to top it all, Uchiha Madara standing tall at the father end of the enemy ninja, a looming presence whose ominous aura was felt even from great distance. The Commander General looked around, a deep frown etched on his brow as he saw shinobi after shinobi fall back - Gaara himself was feeling exhaustion dangerously creeping up on him, his chest rising as he heaved a breath and wiped sweat from his forehead; he surveyed the battlefield, trying to remember the position he knew his siblings and friends had been the last time he saw them and hoped they were alright, at the same time he spared a quick blessing for all those who had fallen. Gaara breathed in again, this time the strong odor of burned and charred earth and flesh assaulted his nose, his expression turning grime, his fists clenching painfully and his eyes narrowing. The burden he had felt since the beginning of the war was getting heavier and heavier, as he assisted to the struggle of the shinobi under his responsibility... he found himself wishing Naruto was there to share some of the weight with him...


	19. Drown

_Hello everyone :D_

_Uhm, this drabble might seem a little strange but I really like it. C:  
Inspiration for this came from 'Runaway' by Nelly Furtado..._

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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**- (December 20th) Drown -**

He knows what it means to _**drown **_- not in the common sense of the occurrence, no. He thinks maybe the common definition for such would have been far likable than the kind he is 'acquainted' to. He doesn't know what it means to drown in water... he only understands drowing in storming darkness, desperation, hatered... _madness_. Falling into those feelings, you don't have any other choice but to let your body get swallowed - the thickness those feelings are made of rend you unable to swim, to move, to fight your way out; you cannot scream, cry out, _breathe _- the muddy lead trapping your body invades your every pore, your body becoming a horrible burden you end up wishing you didn't have. He has been so close, _so freaking close_, to drown from all the dark and heavy emotions bottled up inside him back when he was younger... he shudders, every time he thinks back on it and he can only ask himself, **how**? How did he survive? How did he get out of that...? —An epiphany, then, hits him as he watches the blond turfs of hair gently caressing the tanned face relaxed in slumber: he simply let himself drown into something much brighter and lighter... something that was both calmer, sweeter and much, much _deeper _than a pond of muddy negative emotions... it was an ocean, blue like those eyes hidden beneath lids. He can't find it in him to feel regret, though—drowning in **these **waters felt great.**  
**


	20. Tame

_Hello everyone :D_

_Not entirely satisfied of this, but enjoy anyway!_

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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** - (December 21st) Tame -**

The Hokage sighed as he read the letter in his hands, the answer he received was definitely a good one but part of what was in there had surprised him... the blond leader thought maybe telling the Kazekage about his son hadn't been such a great idea: now the other man had decided to bring his own along during his visit - he only hoped Suna's 'Kage's son wasn't like his or only a miracle would save the village. It turned out Gaara (the Kazekage's youngest child) was the complete opposite of Naruto: quiet and not exactly easy to approach, due to his cold demeanor and the sand continuously shifting around him. Even with his quiet attitude, though, Gaara managed to create almost more problems than the Hokage's son usually did... no one seemed to be allowed to get close to the kid because of the automatic defense creating a wall in front of its master. Minato had received a lot of complaints from his ninja but even the Kazekage couldn't very well make the sand stop. —Naruto was excited: he wanted to know the red-haired kid he saw with the guy that had arrived to see his father; so he entered the Hokage Tower, barged into his father's office and, uncaring of the adults' stare, walked toward Gaara waving a hand in front of his face when sand flew to block his path, telling it to 'Go away!'... the two leaders gaped as the 'absolute defense' suddenly fell on the floor, letting Naruto approach the other kid and reach a hand out with a grin; when Gaara smiled back and took the offered hand, the Kazekage could only think, _"He tamed Shukaku..."_**  
**


	21. Choke

_Hello everyone :D_

_I'd like to see this happening :P  
Set loosely after Naruto&co. see Sasuke at Orochi's lair. _

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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** - (December 22nd) Choke -  
**  
Naruto had returned from his latest mission - a B rank he had carried out with only Yamato and Sai, because Sakura had been too busy with the hospital to acompany them and the mission hadn't been a particularly dangerous one: marely escorting a high ranking politician from Konoha to Suna; the 'B' rank was given only because of the position of the man. The pink-haired's team mate had gone to greet her upon his return and had asked her if she felt up for a bowl of ramen, seeing they hadn't eaten together in a while; after a bit of pestering and slight whining on Naruto's part, Sakura had agreed: she was curious to hear if the other teen had any news on the going ons of their allied village - plus Naruto was paying. So the two walked to Ichiraku and took a seat, ordering their lunch; the blond told Sakura how their client was a complete jackass who thought he could order them around, that Yamato-taicho had to restrain him before he punched the idiot, that Sai had been his usual irritating self and had kept dissing his (absolutely _NOT_) poor 'assets' while asking questions about the Kazekage, whom he had never met before but knew had a bad reputation - of course Naruto had come to Gaara's defense, telling his team mate that was _before_, when he was their enemy... and so on and so forth. Sakura had been enjoying her meal and Naruto's blabbering when said teen finally came to the end of his tale, concluding with "Oh! At least our goodbye was definitely better than the last one... who'd have thought Gaara was so good at french kissing...?" and a huge grin splitting his slightly blushing face in two—Sakura promply choked on the leftover broth she'd been drinking from her bowl, her mind providing an image of the just-mentioned scene, causing her to faint, nosebleed on the run.**  
**


	22. Morning

_Hello everyone :D_

_I admit I had difficulty finding something not so cliché for this drabble, but I had a hard time, and only thanks to a friend I got on the 'right path' :P  
BTW, we're nearing the end! _

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

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** - (December 23rd) Morning -**

He feels a growl growing inside as he runs as fast as his legs can carry him, muscles enhanced with chakra and uncaring of the branches cracking under his feet as he pushes even more strength in his leaps, both because of the anger and because he has to hurry... he can't **believe **it! How could they leave him out of the war! He doesn't care that their choice was the most logic one, he can't let his precious people fight for _his _life - he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he let some of them die...! —Finally arriving at the main battlefield, he can see different groups of shinobi fighting with all of their might against the horde of enemies; from his point of view, the allied nations were mostly winning but still a good number of revived corpses were opposing them and at the far end of the battlefield, he can see Madara fighting... someone that looks like... _**Gaara**_...! All breath leaves him then and he can do nothing but stand there, watching as the Uchiha disappears from sight only to reappear behind the red-haired with a sword already plunged deep between the teen's shoulder blades (the sand not fast enough to stop the man)—"NO!" the shout forces him awake, panting and sweating heavily, his eyes search the room and only when they rest of a pale - smooth - back he feels his breathing calm down... Gaara turns around then, the early moring sun reflecting into his green eyes, and silently comforts him caressing his sweaty forehead, _"I'm here, I'm alright"_ he seems to say and that's enough for him.**  
**


	23. Open

_Hello everyone :D_

_This is maybe a little bit more than K+ for some innuendo, but well... :P  
Second to last drabble, people! _

_Ja ne,  
Temari 88 _

* * *

**- (December 24th) Open -**

Gaara had been looking forward to see his lover for Christmas, but when the letter had arrived telling him the blond couldn't come, he had suddenly felt his festive mood burst like a balloon - although few could see the difference between a merry Gaara and a moody Gaara - and for the whole day the sand in his gourd kept shifting and rustling incessantly (the red-haired commanding it to do what he couldn't: moving), making everyone but his siblings tiptoe aroung him, tending to avoid the office altogether if not strictly necessary. After all the papers were taken care of, Gaara reluctantly headed home, where Temari and Kankurou had insisted they had a family Christmas dinner and he had agreed even if he really wasn't up to it. —The dinner went smoothly and he even managed to forget that Naruto was supposed to be there with them, for a short while at least, because as soon as the table was cleared and he had retreated to his room, Gaara let himself sink into the matterss of his bed and took out the blond's letter, reading it over again... and found a strange desing below the signature that he hadn't noticed, it looked like a seal so he bit his thumb and pressed it on the symbols; a puff of smoke later, a mostly naked Naruto clad only in a crisscrossing bundle of ribbons, barely hiding what was under, "Want to open your present, _Gaara_...?" said the blond, slowly crawling over him and licking at his earlobe as shivers run up his spine.**  
**


	24. New

_Hello everyone :D_

_I think this is a good way to end the collection, being Christmas and everything...  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially **xoxInnerHollowxox** who was so kind as to review _every _single chapter C:_

**_Merry Christmas everyone!_**

_Ja ne,  
__Temari 88_

* * *

**- (December 25th) New -**

Naruto was seriously starting to feel nauseous, just following with his eyes the circles Gaara was doing over and over - soon there would be a trench in that point of the corridor, he was sure - was making him dizzy... the monstrous amount of alcohol he had consumed during the New Year's Eve party up until an hour before might actually have something to do with the nausea, but considering how fast the Kyuubi usually got rid of any saké he downed it was only a matter of time before any remants disappeared from his body. Gaara on the other hand had scarcely touched his wine (or _anything _alcoholic) and now he was walking from one end of the corridor to the other, arms crossed and fist clenching and unclenching - he was the embodiment of nervousness. "Gaara, come sit down, please, you're giving me a headache..." the red-haired ignored him, "Hah... C'mon Gaara, your sister will be fine and Shika's there with her." Finally his lover sat down, still with his arms locked across his chest, and Naruto rested a hand gently on the other's tight, smiling at him and kissing the red tattoo on the pale forehead; Gaara seemed to calm down a little. —It was more than six hours later that Naruto and Gaara were allowed into Temari's hospital room, the woman was cradling a small bundle of blankets with a tired yet radiant smile; the red-haired stepped close and his sister offered him the bundle, letting her brother greet his niece for the first time... Naruto stood there, close to the door, observing quietly his lover holding the tiny new life with the most serene and happy expression he had ever seen on Gaara's face.**  
**


End file.
